Crazy Dreams and Wedding Days
by Amanda Kitswell
Summary: It's the wedding day of our two favorite Stars Hollow residents. Of course, insanity must ensue. First chapter Luke/Lorelai, second chapter Jess/Rory. Java Junkie and Literati, obviously. Two shot.
1. Crazy Dreams

_**Wow... I just finished Opportunites, and I'm already back with another story for yet ANOTHER fandom... this is insane. Well, considering it's my last story until I'm done with this semester of school, I figured I'd go out with a bang, so here's my entry for the Fan Fiction Critique Group challenge! **_

_**The challenge elements were the following:**_

_** 1. Must include the phrase: "Do I have to fall asleep..." **_

_**2. Must be a minimum of 1000 words **_

_**3. Must have a maximum rating of PG 13 **_

_**4. Must include a fandom you don't normally write for. **_

_**5. Must be romance, angst, or humor, or any combo of the three.**_

_**I hope you guys enjoy this story, and I know I had one hell of a time writing it. The beginning is slightly confusing, but it was fun to write mainly because it involves Christopher putting himself down in a believable setting.**_

_**And now, I'm off to bed so I can go to school tomorrow and not die of exhaustion. ENJOY!**_

* * *

"_Do I have to fall asleep, Mommy?" Rory asked, her voice pleading. "Can't I just lay here until Santa comes?"_

"_No dice, Sweets. You have to go to sleep, otherwise Santa won't be able to come in the house. His magic only works when everyone's asleep." Lorelai hugged her daughter for the hundredth time that evening, praying that she would finally cave and go to sleep._

"_Are you sure? Even if I pretend?"_

"_Sorry, but you have to really be asleep," she said regretfully._

"_OK. I'll sleep."_

"_Goodnight, Rory," she said, kissing Rory on the forehead before lifting the sheets to tuck her in._

"_Night, Mommy." The little girl turned on her side, snuggling into the pillow._

_Lorelai walked out of her daughter's bedroom and was met by a mysterious figure in her kitchen. "Hey, Lor," the man said softly, apparently aware of the sleeping girl in the other room._

"_Chris? What are you doing here?" She was nothing short of shocked at the presence of her ex-boyfriend in her home._

"_It's Christmas. I'm here to be with my daughter."_

"_Since when do you care about Rory?"_

"_Since my place as her father started to get taken by some guy you hardly even know," he said in an angry whisper._

"_What are you talking about?" she asked, lost to the point he was trying to make._

"_You know damn well _who_ I'm talking about," he said with a knowing look. _

_An idea formed in her mind, and she gave her ex an incredulous look. "Who, Luke? Are you kidding me?"_

"_Yeah, you love him, not me. That's why we're divorced."_

"_Divorced? When were we even married?" She heard the door behind her open, and spun on her heels. Seeing her daughter fully grown, she almost fell over in shock. "Rory, what the…"_

"_Mom, Dad is right. You belong with Luke, not him."_

* * *

Lorelai shot straight up, her mind cloudy from the sleep that was suddenly interrupted. She looked around, gathering her surroundings. She was in her bedroom: that much was easy to deduce. The man beside her took a bit of memory to understand. It was Luke. How was it Luke?

_Oh, right. The party. The amazing, fantastic, beautiful, under-a-tent because of rain going away party. The one that Luke put together just for Rory. And to make me happy. Because that's what he wanted. To see Rory _and_ me happy._

But that had been almost a year ago. They were officially reengaged, getting married in mere hours. So what was with the dream? Was she having second thoughts? Was she worried about something completely meaningless? Christopher was out of the picture, and there was no chance of him returning.

Maybe the dream was to remind her of what happened to her and Luke's previous plans of marriage. She had screwed up, big time, and needed to do a lot of soul searching before she found herself being drawn right back to Luke. No amount of persuasion was going to convince her she was right with Chris. It was only a matter of time before she was back where she belonged.

She blinked, unclear as to why she was thinking about that. She couldn't deduce why she was even awake, and was now content with the idea of going back to sleep. She needed it, if she was going to be able to walk down the aisle for her wedding. Looking at the clock fleetingly, she whispered, "Fourteen hours," before drifting back into the land of crazy dreaming.

* * *

"Rory!" she yelled, in a panic.

"What, Mom? I'm trying to get ready!"

"I can't find my shoes!"

"Did you check your feet?"

Lifting an eyebrow, she check to see if she had, indeed, put her shoes on already, but only found her feet bare. "I'm not wearing them!"

Hearing a loud groan, Lorelai watched as Rory emerged from the bedroom she had disappeared in hours earlier. "Alright, let's hurry this up. I've only got half my make-up on, and I look like Rupaul on crack!"

The older woman laughed at her daughter's unfortunate state of dress (one eyelid shadowed, lipstick not blotted, foundation not blended) before saying, "I'm sorry, Hon. I just don't know what happened to them."

"I think I may have an idea…" Rory said slowly, her eyes drifting to the corner of the living room. She broke out in a mile wide grin before saying, "Speaking of Rupaul… I wonder if he'll start bringing dogs into his act."

Turning in the direction of the younger woman's gaze, Lorelai burst out laughing. In all his eccentric glory, Paul Anka stood with his front paws slipped into the straps of her pure white heels. "Just when I think I've got that dog figured out," she breathed out between howls of laughter. She turned back to 

Rory to find her doubled over in her own fit of hysterics. "OK, go finish getting ready. I'm going to relieve the Queen of her shoes." Rory snorted once before straightening out and walking back to her room, laughing the entire time.

Turning her attention back to the cross-dressing canine, she crossed the room and pulled his paws away from them. Slipping them onto her own feet (after removing the stray drops of drool from each), she spun to face the full length mirror she had bought from Mrs. Kim. Looking at her reflection, she smiled broadly, the realization that she was _finally_ marrying Luke more than she could handle.

"No. You cannot cry. You spent hours on your makeup, and there's no time to reap-" A knock at the door interrupted her personal scorning, and she yelled, "It's unlocked!"

"Lorelai?" came Sookie's excited voice. "I have your something borrowed and something blue!"

"Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to strangle Rory!" she whispered.

"I heard that!" Rory yelled from her bedroom. She came out of the room, her face now even and blended, and said, "And a certain someone may be a little angry if you kill your maid of honor."

"I think Taylor will survive. And I always have a back up, right Sook?"

"No, no, no. You leave me out of it. I will not let you ring me into your conspiracy!" she said, backing away from the playfully bickering mother and daughter.

"Nice try, Mom. But I was talking about Luke. Sometimes I think he loves me more than you do."

"Probably does. But I'm good at faking it, right?"

"Oh, you're a pro!" Rory said sarcastically, giving her mother a playful grin.

"OK, guys. Break it up. It's almost time to go!" Sookie said in a raised voice, forcing Lorelai to look away from her daughter with a goofy grin on her face. "Now here. This is your something borrowed," she said, passing over a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a heart hanging from the chain, "and this is your something blue." Lorelai took a small box from the overwhelming woman, who was practically bursting at the seams with excitement. "It's a pair of earrings that I bought from Luke's sister that I thought would look incredible with your dress."

Opening the box, her jaw dropped in awe at what it held. Two silver hooks held matching blue Ls, framed in silver. Liz's talent never ceased to amaze Lorelai, and she was sure this woman would become famous for her work.

"Alright, it's time," she heard Rory say, and she quickly took out the earrings she already wore and slipped in the new ones.

Giving her broadest, goofiest smile, Lorelai said, "Let's get this show on the road, girls!"

* * *

"Hi, Lorelai!" April said excitedly, already in the room where the bridal party met before the big walk down the aisle. She held a basket filled with flower petals ready to be littered amongst the carpet. Lorelai hadn't wanted to make her a flower girl, instead one of her bridesmaids, but April had insisted because it was traditional to have a flower girl in the wedding party.

"Hey, April. You look beautiful," she said honestly, admiring the young woman's light blue gown. It matched the shade of the bridesmaid dresses, but Rory's maid of honor gown was dark blue. It made her look beautiful.

Liz stood from her chair, walking over to Lorelai and giving her a sisterly hug. "I can't believe my big brother's finally marrying you." She pushed her to arms length before saying, "It took you two long enough!"

Lorelai smiled, feeling the pink tinge warming her cheeks. "Yeah, well… I'm glad I actually got here."

A knock at the door was followed by Kirk popping his head into the room with his hand covering his eyes.

"Kirk, what are you doing?" Rory asked, confused.

"It's bad luck to see the bride in her gown before the wedding," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That's for the groom, Kirk," Lorelai replied, chuckling as he removed his hand and gave her a questioning look.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now what is it?" she asked impatiently.

"Oh, it's show time," he stated. "Flower girl's up first."

With that, April hopped out of her seat and raced past Lorelai to the door. Kirk ushered her out the door and then called for each bridesmaid. "Liz, you're walking down with TJ, and Sookie, you're walking down with Jackson."

"No, really, Kirk?" Lorelai asked sarcastically.

"Yes, really," he replied, oblivious to her sarcasm.

"Wait… TJ isn't the best man?" Rory asked. Lorelai's eyes shot to her daughter, and she silently scolded herself for forgetting to tell her daughter who Luke's best man was going to be. "If he's not, then who..."

"And Rory, you're walking down with Jess."

_Damn it_, Lorelai thought. "Wha-" She caught her daughter's exclamation with her hand, an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Sweets. I forgot to tell you."

"You forgot to tell me that I'd be walking down the aisle with my ex-boyfriend?" she asked in a harsh whisper. "The ex-boyfriend I haven't spoken to in a year? The ex-boyfriend I kissed when I visited him in Philadelphia after I found out Logan cheated on me?"

"Wait, what?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "Looks like I'm not the only one who forgot to share something vital."

"It was nothing," Rory said in an attempt to brush off her slip of the tongue.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"It was a mistake… it didn't mean anything."

"Are you sure about that, Hon?"

"Yes," she stated lamely. "OK, no. I don't know what it meant. But it was a long time ago. He probably forgot about it."

"Chances are, if you're still thinking about it, he's still thinking about it," Lorelai pointed out just before Kirk called for Rory to get into the hall. "Just… act normal. It's not that long a walk. It'll be over before you know it."

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to walk down the aisle with someone you practically hated for a year."

"No, I have to walk down the aisle with _two_ people I hated for most of my _life_," Lorelai said, dread lacing her tone. Her daughter slumped her shoulders visibly, and only straightened them after exiting the room. The door was propped now, revealing the commotion of the wedding party march. The classical music (provided by Lane Kim) played at a pleasant volume, barely audible from her distance.

"OK, Lorelai. You're up," Kirk said from the doorway, leading her out without physically touching her. She flipped her veil to shield her face, then crossed the threshold into an atmosphere thick with anxiety, and suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

Meeting up with her parents, who stood just outside the door on either side, she gave each of them a small smile through her veil. Emily gave the smallest of smiles, dried tear tracks betraying her otherwise unaffected appearance. Richard was smiling broadly to her left, not afraid to show emotion at this occasion.

And then the walk began. Lorelai's heart pounded in her chest, loud enough that she was sure her mother would turn to her and tell her to 'keep it down, the whole church can hear you're nervous!' and then come up with a plethora of reasons as to why it was incredibly inappropriate to have a heart rate above seventy-five when you're walking down the aisle at a wedding.

However, she and Richard were completely silent. No comments about her makeup or dress or choice of husband: just silence and smiles. As they turned into the aisle, Lorelai noticed Rory and Jess constantly turning their heads to look at each other. At one point, Rory spoke, and Jess replied with his signature sly grin. They spoke back and forth, either exchanging smiles or frowns at each other's comments. When they reached the end of the aisle, Rory moved to stand beside Sookie, and Jess beside Luke.

Luke. Luke was there. Luke was there, and he was smiling. Smiling at her, and she smiled back. He looked incredible, but she wouldn't let on. At least not right away. Instead, she would tease him relentlessly for the way he 'looked' in a penguin suit, and then tell him that he had a nice butt. The standard Lorelai Gilmore treatment.

As she finally reached the altar with her parents, she was shocked when her mother kissed her cheek quickly, then went to sit down. Richard helped her climb the stairs, then gently kissed her hand before stepping down to the bottom of the stairs. It was at the sight of her mother finally letting go of her stoic appearance and crying that Lorelai could no longer hold back her own tears.

"Hi," she heard Luke say, and she turned her head to face him. A knowing smile on his face made her grin through her tears. He could read her so well, and she loved that about their relationship.

"Hi," she replied, blinking away the tears so she could get through the proceedings before completely destroying her makeup. _Thank God for waterproof mascara._

"You two ready," the reverend asked, receiving nods from the betrothed. "Alright then. Here we go…"

Taking a deep breath, the reverend began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to witness the joining of two of our most well known citizens, Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore, in holy matrimony.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"Her mother and I do," Richard said proudly before joining his wife in the pew.

"As Luke and Lorelai make their vows, we are privileged to witness the joyous love of two families becoming one. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort, and contentment that is known in the hearts of all God's children, and may Luke and Lorelai both look forward to the each new season of their marriage – just as a child anticipates the coming of summer vacation or winter snow.

"Luke, Lorelai, your love for each other will grow deeper with every passing day, but it's important to remember that your love stands on a foundation of genuine, mutual respect for each other. To truly _love_ another person is to be willing to accept both their strong points and their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect.

"The vows you are about to exchange will serve as a verbal representation of the non-verbal emotions that are as real as anything that can be seen, heard, or touched. It is not the words that you will speak today that will bond you together as one, but the strength of the love and commitment found deep within your souls.

"Let us pray…"

"Where did he get this stuff?" Luke asked in a low whisper.

"Sounds like something off of a soap opera or something," Lorelai replied just as quietly.

"It's so… mushy." Luke winced, causing Lorelai to giggle softly.

"It's a wedding. It's supposed to be mush-" She stopped speaking abruptly when everyone spoke 'Amen' in unison. They returned their attention to the reverend, who gave them a look of mock-contempt at their speaking during his prayer. "Sorry," she said.

"Just don't do it again." Turning his attention to the people in the pews, the reverend said, "The bride and groom have prepared their own vows for us today. Luke, would you like to start?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." _There goes Mr. Monosyllabic,_ Lorelai thought. She gave him a reassuring smile, recognizing the nervous look in his eye. "Lorelai, you know I'm bad with words, but I felt the only way you would truly understand how much I love you would be to write my own vows. Granted, I got a little help, but the words are mostly my own.

"I remember the day I met you. It was one of the busiest days I had ever seen working in the diner, and probably remains the busiest day in the history of it being open. You came in, in a flurry of caffeine withdrawal and pure energy, and wouldn't shut up no matter how many times I told you to wait your turn. When I had almost finally had enough, you asked what my birthday was. And minutes after I told you, you handed me a ripped out newspaper clipping with my horoscope on it. You had written under it: You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she will go away. It gave me the first reason to smile all day. From then on, you seemed to be the only reason I smiled for a long time. And every single person in town figured it out before you. But the happiest day of my life was when you figured it out yourself. You're the woman I'm meant to be with, Lorelai Gilmore. No one has made me feel the way you do, and no one ever could." Turning to the reverend, he said, "I think that's it."

"OK… Lorelai?"

"Um… wow, Luke. I didn't think you had it in you to be so… mushy," she said with a wink. He rolled his eyes, eliciting a giggle from her that brought his eyes back to hers. "So it's my turn, huh?

"I saw this quote from Gilda Radner in one of the magazines I had lying around the house, and I thought it fit us so well. 'I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.'" The words of her quote suddenly sparked a memory from her dream the night before. She fought for the vows she had worked so carefully to put together, but they were lost amongst the words of dream-Chris and dream-Rory. Taking a deep breath, she chose to wing it.

"Last night, I had a very… interesting dream. It had a few people who are very important in my life telling me what I already knew, but probably needed reinforced a time or two outside of my dreams in the past. They told me that you were the only one for me, that we belonged together and that no one else would work. If I hadn't known that before, which I did, then I woke up knowing it for sure. You were there for Rory more than Chris, giving her the father-figure she would've otherwise grown up without. Thanks to you, I was able to raise an awesome daughter, who turned out more normal than her crazy mother. But just as importantly, you were there for me. You _helped_ raise that beautiful, incredible girl over there," she said, gesturing to Rory, who was standing five feet behind her. "Without you and your coffee, I don't know how she would've turned out. And, honestly? I don't _want _to know. All I know is that I love you for everything you've done for her… for _us_, and that's never going to change." Giving him the broadest smile that was physically possible for her, she said emphatically, "OK, done!"

"OK, then. Luke, Lorelai. By the power invested in me by the Stars Hollow Covenant Church, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Turning to the groom, he said with a wide grin, "You may now kiss your bride."

Lorelai locked eyes with Luke as he reached for the edge of her veil. He lifted it up and over the glimmering tiara she wore at the crown of her head, smoothing out the edges before moving his hands to her waist at a painfully slow pace (though, in actuality, it only took upwards of five seconds). He then pulled her to him abruptly, crashing his lips into hers for their first kiss as a married couple. She slid her arms around his neck, kissing him with more passion than she thought herself capable of.

The cheers from the guests (particularly that of Babette and Ms. Patty) drew them apart. Lorelai faced the audience with a deep blush warming her cheeks furiously. Tears were now flowing freely, and she knew they were destroying her foundation and blush. She felt a tug at her arm, and realized it was Luke pulling her to stand directly beside him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Luke Danes." With that, they felt a light push from the reverend to get them walking forward.

"Hmm…" she heard Luke hum softly.

"What is it, Hubby?" she asked playfully.

"I just like how Lorelai Danes sounds." He kissed her cheek, draping his arm across her shoulders and pulling her against him.

"Mrs. Lorelai Danes… yeah, I like the sound of that."

* * *

_**A/N: There **_**is_ the possibility that I will write a second chapter. The only thing is that it will be from the walk down the aisle on, and into the reception. And it will _not _be from Lorelai's POV. It will more than likely be from Rory's. I say this because this is only a SMALL possibility, and the odds of me doing it are slim to none. I wish I could guarantee it. Honestly, I do. But I can't, only because I have no time. So, for now, this is it. But, you may want to put it on alert, just in case I do post a second chapter. But don't expect it for a REALLY LONG time._**

_**Amanda Ruth, September 04, 2008**_


	2. Wedding Days

_**OK, though it may not be the chapter or the ending everyone expect, here it is! The second part to this unexpected two shot! This part starts at some random spot from the first chapter, and is in Rory's POV. I decided to go all Marimore/Literati/whatever on you guys, so ENJOY! If you don't ship that... sorry to disappoint... Amanda Ruth**_

_**By the way, any formatting errors I was too lazy to read through and fix. If you don't like that, sue me. It's midnight, and I have class tomorrow. KIDDING! I just really don't wanna fix them right now. I'll get to it after homework tomorrow. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Kirk, what are you doing?" Rory asked, confused.

"It's bad luck to see the bride in her gown before the wedding," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That's for the groom, Kirk," Lorelai replied, chuckling as he removed his hand and gave her a questioning look.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now what is it?" she asked impatiently.

Rory watched in amusement as the man visibly squirmed under the unaffected stare her mother was giving him. "Oh, it's show time," he stated. "Flower girl's up first."

The excitement that launched April from her seat was contagious, igniting a smile that Rory couldn't hold back. After Kirk had ushered the young girl from the room, he spoke, evoking an even wider grin and a dramatic eye roll.

"Liz, you're walking down with TJ, and Sookie, you're walking down with Jackson."

"No, really, Kirk?" Lorelai asked sarcastically, while Rory's smile went running for the hills.

"Yes, really."

Kirk's ignorance to the well executed sarcasm by Lorelai wasn't enough to distract Rory from the thoughts spinning a web of confusion in her mind.

"Wait… TJ isn't the best man?" she asked. When her mother looked at her with a slightly horrified expression on her face, it was all the answer she needed to know that he wasn't. Her mind in a hazy state of euphoria from the occasion, she was unable to think straight, and therefore couldn't deduce on her own who the best man could possibly be. "If he's not, then who…"

"And Rory, you're walking down with Jess," Kirk said as he popped his head back in the room after leading Sookie and Liz out.

The mention of the high-school-flunk-out-turned-author's name derailed Rory's train of thought completely. "Wha-"

She felt her mother's hand cover her mouth, effectively cutting off her surprised exclamation. She met the apologetic blue irises with a look of her own that dripped resentment.

"I'm so sorry, Sweets. I forgot to tell you."

Rory glared at Lorelai disdainfully before she began speaking. "Your forgot to tell me that I'd be walking down the aisle with my ex-boyfriend?" she asked in a harsh whisper. "The ex-boyfriend I haven't spoken to in a year? The ex-boyfriend that I kissed when I visited him in Philadelphia after I found out Logan cheated on me?"

"Wait, what?" Lorelai asked, genuine surprise overriding the apology in her tone. "Looks like I'm not the only one who forgot to share something vital."

Chastising herself relentlessly for her slip up, she said, "It was nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me," Lorelai said disbelievingly.

"It was a mistake… it didn't mean anything."

"Are you sure about that, Hon?"

"Yes," she stated lamely. Her defense was weak, and she had no supporting evidence. She felt her resolve beginning to crumble, and her mind reeled with all the excuses she had made to herself in the past that hadn't been able to convince her otherwise. And if she couldn't convince herself, what chance was there in convincing Lorelai Gilmore? "OK, no. I don't know what it meant. But it was a long time ago. He probably forgot about it."

"Chances are, if you're still thinking about it, he's still thinking about it," Lorelai pointed out. Just then, Kirk poked his annoying little head into the room again to call Rory out to her dreaded fate. She hung her head mournfully, nowhere near prepared for what she was about to do. "Just… act normal. It's not that long a walk. It'll be over before you know it."

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to walk down the aisle with someone you practically hated for a year," she said, rolling her eyes at her unfavorable situation.

She turned and began walking toward the door when her mother replied with quiet dread, "No, I have to walk down the aisle with _two_ people I hated for most of my _life_."

With that, she made to leave the room again, her shoulders slumped to match her state of mind.

"Hello, Rory," came Emily's voice just as Rory crossed the threshold. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders, afraid of the criticism that would more than likely come from the elder Gilmore if she didn't.

"Hi, Grandma," she said quietly, not turning back to face her. By then, she was focused on the person standing opposite her at the other door. A quick nudge from what seemed like Richard (judging by the size of the hand on the small of her back) reconnected her spinal cord to her brain, giving her the ability to walk.

As she began advancing toward the turn into the aisle, Jess matched her step for step. All too quickly, they were standing toe-to-toe, and he wordlessly offered her his elbow. The classical music was being drowned out by the pounding of blood in her ears, more out of nerves than anger at her mother at that point.

Taking the proffered limb after a moment's hesitation, Rory turned to face toward the aisle, keeping her eyes focused intently on the altar ahead, a frown pulling her lips down forcefully.

And time slowed down painfully, leaving her in a state of desperate pleas for the moment to end.

"So," she heard Jess whisper, silencing her brains screams to end the suffering. "I don't see Wonder Boy here."

She turned to him with a questioning glare. "Who, Logan? Why do you care if he's here or not?" she replied tersely. She put on a meek smile when a few guests turned to look as the procession in the aisle was joined by the bride.

"I don't. I just figured you would have brought your boyfriend to your mother's wedding," he replied.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"That's surprising," he said, the smallest twinge of sarcasm in his tone.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked vehemently. When she looked at him, she saw the patented Jess-smirk. It infuriated her, but caused the butterflies to flutter about in her stomach nonetheless. Cursing her weakness when it came to that smile, she turned away.

"Well, you really seemed to care about him. At least enough to kiss me and then feel guilty about it, even after he cheated on you," he said, his tone now completely unreadable.

She looked at him to see a deep frown creasing his features. "Look, Jess. I'm really sorry about that. It was… I was confused, and really upset. I guess I wasn't as angry as I thought," she said unconvincingly.

"Hey, I'm fine with it. You tried to get back at him. But the thing is, Rory," he began, "I always knew you were too good for him. That only proved it. You're too good a person to cheat out of revenge. Hell, you're too good a person to cheat period."

The corners of her mouth lifted into a shy smile, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. "Mom was right," she said cryptically.

"About what?"

"We both never forgot about that night."

"How could I, Gilmore? You're the girl I wanted to run away with," he said, causing her smile to fade completely. Before she could reply, they had reached the end of the aisle. Separating from him quickly, she took her place beside Sookie. She couldn't bring herself to smile, guilt suddenly welling up inside of her at the words Jess had spoken.

"Hey, Rory. Are you OK?" Sookie whispered to Rory as Lorelai approached the steps to the altar.

"Yeah. I just can't wait for the reception." She turned to the older woman and smiled halfheartedly. "I could really use the champagne."

\/\/\/\/

"Thank you," Rory said, taking one of the flutes from the tray offering her the golden liquid. Taking a quick sip, she cringed at the dry texture of the drink. _How can anything in the form of a liquid be dry?_

Looking around the square, she silently thanked whatever deity was watching over them for the beauty of the day. The sun shone brightly, contradicting the two dozen separate weather reports that Lorelai had given her saying it would be otherwise the night before.

"We really lucked out on the weather, didn't we, Sweets?" Lorelai said from behind her.

"Yeah. I guess you'll have to apologize to poor ole Garrett Argianas. What did the poor kid ever do to you?"

"He tried to tell me that it was going to rain on my wedding day. I had a legitimate reason to be upset with him."

"Yeah, but now you see that acting in anger is illogical, and you should be more careful before you throw the remote at the TV. Not to mention breaking it in the process."

"Hey, that was…" Lorelai paused, a look of deep concentration furrowing her brow. "OK, you got me there. But, in my defense, my hormones have been acting up."

"What do you mean?" she asked, giving her mother a curious, concerned quirk of the brow.

"Oh… Luke and I were going to wait until the toast to tell everyone… but you're my daughter, so I should tell you first, right?" Besides turning her quirked eyebrow into a 'move it along' glare, Rory merely blinked in response. "I'm pregnant."

Her eyes shooting open in response to the two simple words that held a heavy weight, Rory flung herself at her mother. "Oh my God! That's incredible!" she squealed, oblivious to the attention she was now drawing to herself and her mother.

"Yes, and now I don't have to wait for the toast for everyone to find out."

"Oh, sorry," she said, a faded blush creeping into her cheeks. "When did you find out?" she asked, looking around at the now whispering crowd that had created a scattered arc around them.

"Yesterday, actually. They had to let out my dress again at the final fitting, and I had a creepy déjà vu flashback type thing to when I found out I was pregnant with you. I decided to do a home test, and voila, pink plus sign."

"Well, you and Luke are going to make a beautiful baby," Rory said seriously, her eyes trying to give off the tiniest glint of mockery.

"Thank you," Lorelai said, giving an exaggerated curtsy before turning her head to look around. "Where is that husband of mine, anyway?"

Joining her mother in the hunt for the groom, she spotted him with Richard and Emily, a 'deer in the headlights' look on his face. "Um, Mom. You may want to get over there quick," she said, pointing out his location.

"Crap," the older woman said, rushing off.

Rory giggled, the helpless look on her stepfather's face amusing, despite the obvious fear he was feeling. A tap on her shoulder had her spinning on her heels to meet Jess's intense gaze. "Oh, hi."

"Hey. What are you laughing at?" he asked, curiosity glimmering in his brown eyes.

"Oh… your uncle was ambushed by the Dangerous Duo."

"Ah, your grandparents. I don't envy his predicament."

"Nor do I," she said, playfully mocking him. He gave her a smile that sent the butterflies soaring, and she was once again cursing her lack of self control. They stood in a mildly awkward silence, more of the uncomfortable atmosphere emanating from Rory than Jess.

Neither were making an attempt to speak (rather just remained staring at each other) when a clinking of glasses had their head swiveling toward the bridal party table. Standing in front was Taylor, his most solemn grin gracing his lips under his scruffy gray beard. A microphone was held between one hand, a champagne flute in the other.

"So how did Taylor wind up practically in charge of this thing?" Jess asked, just the tiniest bit of amusement hidden behind his wry smile.

"He reluctantly gave Luke the freedom to choose whether or not he went to town meetings. Oh, and he's never allowed to bring up any kind of business about the diner _or_ The Dragonfly. Ever," Rory replied with a wink, eliciting a genuinely amused chuckle from her companion.

"That would do it."

Clearing his throat into the microphone, Taylor was able to attract the attention of most of the guests. Seemingly satisfied, he began his speech. "Well, I can honestly say that this is the loveliest weddings I have ever been to. But if I were to just go on about how beautiful everything turned out, we would never get to the real reason I interrupted the festivities, now, would we?" He paused for a moment as scattered applause echoed quietly throughout the square. "Now, if I could call up the best man to give his speech…" he said, trailing off, his eyes wandering to locate the man in question.

Rory felt Jess's arm brush hers as he slid past her, a shiver violently running down her spine. She hated the effect he had on her, but there was no controlling it. She had no doubt in her mind about the feelings she had for him, but what were the odds that he still felt that way about her?

_Judging by what he said in the chapel, I'd say it's a safe bet that he still cares,_ a voice inside her responded, causing her to nod absentmindedly. She caught herself quickly, and dragged her eyes up to look at Jess, who now stood in Taylor's place.

"Like my uncle, I'm terrible with words. He'd be quick to disagree, arguing that I wrote a book in my time since I left Stars Hollow. But, in turn, I'd argue that I may be able to write well, but that, in no way, speaks for my ability to voice my thoughts.

"When I came here, it was because my mother wanted what she thought was best for me. At the time, I wasn't willing to accept that, and figured she was just shipping me off to my uncle as some sort of weird punishment, which, I guess, included getting pushed off the bridge. My first night in Stars Hollow, he brought me to dinner at his friend Lorelai's house. Needless to say, they were more alike than they cared to admit. She is each and every bit as much of a hard ass as he is when she wants to be.

"And, also, I saw how they were together then, and for months afterward. I knew they were best friends, but there was something else there. Something that they were completely oblivious to. I called Luke out on it a few times, but he always brushed it off. I never thought he'd actually fess up to it, so I'm truly shocked that I'm standing here, giving the best man speech."

The crowd laughed in unison, Rory joining them halfheartedly. She was too engrossed in the words he was saying. _He's such a liar,_ she thought. _He's… incredible with words._ She watched as he turned his upper body towards the table behind him and grabbed his champagne flute, lifting it ceremoniously toward the sky. "To Luke and Lorelai. And may I be the first to officially say: Finally." Taking a sip from his glass, he returned his attention to the crowd one last time before admitting, "Though I'm pretty sure Liz has beaten me to that."

Everyone laughed one last time, sipping from their flutes as Jess handed the microphone back to Taylor. "And now the maid of honor has a few words she would like to share."

Rory snapped out of her distracted haze to take her place in front of the table, passing the object of her reverie a bit too close for comfort as she walked. Taking the mike from the host slowly, she quickly ran through her mind for the speech she had been preparing for weeks, and found it completely erased from her conscious memory. _Shoot._ Turning to look at her mother for a bit of support, she found the Gilmore grin staring back at her.

Taking a deep breath, Rory searched her brain for bits of memories she could use before coming up with something useful. "As we all know, the relationship we're celebrating today couldn't have been more taxing on our small town lives. At times everyone was turning on each other, taking sides in break ups or worrying about how the relationship would affect the town's economy." The last bit was emphasized with a pointed glare at Taylor, and small scatterings of laughter followed. "It was always completely insane, and sometimes I was grateful that I had Yale to escape to. But when I didn't have the option of coming back here for a while was when their relationship reached a completely different level.

"Then, out of the blue, a new person was added to the life of Luke Danes. And, boy… there is no doubt that she'll fit into the Gilmore clan," Rory said, giving April a genuine grin. "However, I wonder if Luke really knows what he's getting himself into."

"I think I've got a pretty good idea," Luke interjected. "We'll be broke because of coffee by our fifth year of marriage."

"Hey, give me some credit," Lorelai said defensively. "More like the third year."

The crowd laughed loudly, creating a dull roar in Rory's ears. "Anyway," she said in an attempt to regain their attention. "Though many problems stepped between them over the years, they were always able to find their way back to each other. And, growing up in this town, with Luke supplying the coffee and being more like a dad to me than anything else, I can say that I'm truly glad to have him as part of my family.

"So here's my salute to the newlyweds," she said, lifting her flute. "May you _finally_ get the happy ending you've been fighting for these past three and a half years."

Lifting her glass to her lips, she sipped at the champagne delicately. She handed the microphone back to Taylor and walked back to her spot by Jess, carefully avoiding any form of eye contact for the time being.

"And now, if Luke and Lorelai would go to the dance floor, it's time for the traditional first dance."

Rory watched as Luke stood and held his hand out for his wife. Taking it obligingly, Lorelai stood from her seat and followed him around the table to the makeshift dance floor. Her face was lit up brighter than the square in winter, and Rory's heart soared at the sight of her mother so happy.

The beginning notes of their song began to play, and she forced herself to concentrate on them. They had kept the song a secret (even from her) and she was desperate to know what it was. "_Take Me There_? Rascal Flatts?"

"Yeah… you'll never believe who picked it, either," Jess said from behind her.

"You knew?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"No, but I did know that Luke picked the song. It was all I could get out of him."

"Luke? Luke picked country for the first dance? That's…" she trailed off, turning to watch the man in question dance.

"… weird. I know. I'm just as shocked as you are. Considering that album was released, what? Two weeks ago?"

"Just about. At least, two weeks in Luke time," she said, smiling as she turned back to face Jess after draining the last of her champagne. The smile she saw him wearing was completely devoid of the usual smart-assed sarcasm she had become accustomed to seeing in his smiles. He seemed genuinely happy with the occasion.

"Well, we both know that Luke is just full of surprises," she said jokingly, letting a full grin form on her lips.

"That he is," Jess said in agreement, sipping from his own flute. They stood in an agreeable silence afterward, Rory turning back to the dance floor to watch her mother and newly appointed stepfather dance in lazy circles. Lorelai rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. A serene look was painted on her face that was rarely seen outside of Luke's company.

As the song ended, Taylor's voice registered in her temporal lobe, successfully breaking into her conscious mind. "If the bridal party would join the bride and groom on the dance floor, that dance will begin shortly."

"Well, thankfully there will be no surprises for this one," Rory said, turning back to Jess.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm a second time.

"We shall," she replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he led her onto the dance floor.

"Oh, now I know Lorelai picked this song," he said as the music began playing.

"Hey, it is just as plausible that Luke picked this song, going by his choice of song for the first dance."

"No, not even Luke is surprising enough to pick anything by Duffy," he said as Rory separated from him on the floor, beginning to move to the rhythm.

"Hey, I happen to know, for a fact, that he likes this song."

_I don't know what this is  
But you got me good  
Just like you knew you would_

_I don't know what you do  
But you do it well  
I'm under your spell_

"Last time I checked _Mercy _wasn't on his iPod," Jess replied, moving fractionally closer to Rory.

"Luke has an iPod?"

"Yeah, it's hidden in the alley behind the diner. With his Bat Mobile," Jess said seriously, causing Rory to laugh out loud and stumble in her motions (though it was probably due to the two glasses of champagne rather than the laughter). He gripped her shoulders lightly, steadying her beneath his hands. She could feel his breath whisper across her forehead, causing her to shudder almost imperceptibly.

Bringing her head up to look at him, Rory stepped back quickly, suddenly aware of how close they were. What made her nervous was how comfortable she felt around him, going against everything she thought would happen within her if they ever came that close to each other again. The moment truly had her begging for mercy. Mercy from whatever was plaguing her that had her convinced she was still in love with Jess Mariano.

"You OK?" he asked, taking a step forward, looking more concerned than she could ever remember.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy," she lied, looking away before beginning to dance again.

Slowly, Jess picked up the rhythm again. She continued to avoid his gaze as she searched the dance floor, the song fading to an end. The bridal party had been joined by half the citizens of Stars Hollow, and they all clapped delightedly at the end of the song.

Walking off quickly, Rory took a glass of champagne from one of the many trays being carried about by the waiters her grandmother had insisted Lorelai hire and drank it quickly. "You really think that's the best idea if you're feeling dizzy?" came Jess's voice, his tone teasing.

"We need to talk," she said abruptly, and clearly against her better judgment.

"Here?" he asked, the annoying smirk making its way to his lips.

"No, not here," she stated softly.

"Then where?"

"I don't know," she said simply.

"You wanna go to the bridge?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright," he said, heading in the direction of the bridge. She followed, quickening her pace until she was walking beside him.

Waiting until they were out of the BPHR (Babette-Patty Hearing Range), Rory contemplated exactly what her subconscious wanted her to say. By the time anything viable began coming to her, the surface beneath her heels became unstable, and she realized they were on a dirt path.

The fog of thoughts thickened until it was nearly impossible for her to think. She knew what she should tell him. She knew what she _had_ to tell him. She cared, she truly cared about him. But what could she possibly say after what she had done to him.

She realized then how one sided she had seen the relationship before. _He _was the one who ran away. _He_ was the one who caused the pain. Never, before this moment, did she consider the share of pain _she _caused.

_She_ broke _his_ heart the same way he broke hers.

Desperately, she wanted to voice her apology. The sound of heels on wood brought her out of her thoughts long enough to notice they had arrived at their destination before she immediately slipped back into her own head. She absently sat on the edge of the bridge, her feet dangling mere inches above the water.

Popping her heels in and out of her shoes, she only sat. Nothing was coming to her that would even begin to suffice as an apology for what she had done to him. So she sat, silent, watching the late afternoon sun reflect off the murky water.

"I remember this one time, Luke showed up at the high school after classes," Jess said, a bit awkwardly. Rory continued staring into the pond, angling her feet so the toes of her shoes dipped into the water, causing it to ripple outward. "I had just come here, and I wasn't really into the whole school thing. He started talking about how Taylor had called him about something stupid. I think it was that I took money that was for one of those Fix-The-Bridge fundraisers, and we got into it just off the bridge. I pretty much told him to buzz off, and we started crossing the bridge. Before I could register what was happening, I was standing in four feet of slimy water, soaking wet and watching Luke walking away."

She whipped her head to face him, sure her face was only emoting confusion. "Wait… Luke pushed you in the pond?"

"Yeah. It's kinda funny, now that I think about it," he said, laughing a little at the memory that she knew was playing in his mind. She began laughing as well, more at the sheer ridiculousness of the idea. She knew Luke had a bit of a temper, but he hardly ever took it out on another person. The fact that he had taken it out on his own nephew was hilarious. But she'd be damned if she could think of anything he _hadn't_ done to deserve it.

"Well, you did plenty to deserve it in your time here."

"Hey," he said defensively. "Well, you never did anything to deserve getting pushed in, so I guess you can say that."

She froze, the memory of the yacht coming back full force. She grinned, sure he would find it amusing. "Actually, I have done something."

His brow quirked in mild surprise and deep interest. "Oh, really? And what might that be?"

"I stole a yacht."

His eyes opened in shock, and he choked out a loud laugh, turning his head and shaking it disbelievingly. "Rory Gilmore, I didn't think you had it in you to steal anything."

"Hey, I deviled egged your car, didn't I?"

"That was you?"

"Well, my mom helped," she said, grinning wildly at the wide-eyed surprise she was evoking from him.

"Now she I'd expect it from. I'm inclined to believe that you had a partner in crime with the yacht robbery, as well," he said, chuckling lightly at the glare she chose to give him.

"If you must know, Logan helped," she said jokingly, not expecting him to freeze. "What? What is it?"

"It figures."

"What figures? What do you mean?"

"Whose idea was it?"

"Mine. I was upset about something, I don't really remember what," she said, surprised at how quickly his mood had changed.

"And he just let you do that? Risk your future just because you were upset."

"Hey, it was just as much my fault as it was his. If you're going to blame him, blame me too."

"No, Rory. You weren't thinking. You don't think when you're upset. He should have known that and stopped you," he said, agitation adding an edge to his voice.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't have let him!" she yelled, successfully silencing him for the time being. "I wanted to do it. And yeah, it may have set me back, but it obviously didn't mess me up too bad, now, did it,?" she asked, deciding it best to leave out the part where she dropped out of Yale for a semester.

"I guess not," he said, running his hand through his hair roughly. "You know I care about you, Rory. I hated seeing you with that jerk because you were too good for him. You still are. He didn't appreciate you for what you are, and tried changing you. You didn't belong in his world."

"I know that. I knew that. But it didn't change the fact that I loved him. Despite the fact that he could cheat on me at all, I loved him."

"Yeah, I remember," he said, hurt crimping his features.

"I told you I'm sorry about that. I'm really sorry about that. I'm sorry about everything I did to hurt you. I always blamed you for our failed relationship, but I know now that I played an equal part in the mess. I screwed up just as bad as you did. If not, worse."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I hate what I did to you. I loved you. I think… no, I know I loved you more than Dean. Dean was safe, but he didn't know me as well as you. You knew me better on so many different levels. For God's sake, you probably know me better than Logan did!" she ranted, her anger at herself reaching a dangerous level. She lifted herself to a standing position, ready to just walk away.

"What are you saying, Rory?" he asked, standing up in front of her, holding her in place by placing his hands on her arms.

"I'm saying…" A bright flash and a loud clap interrupted her, and when she looked up to the now darkened sky, she felt a single drop of rain on strike her cheek. The one was followed by dozens more, and she looked down from the sky to look Jess in the eyes, another flash of lighting illuminating the clouds. The rain was soaking through her dress, making it stick to her body. The places on her arms where his hands lay were the only ones devoid of the cold rain pelting her skin.

The look on his face told her that he probably knew what she was trying to say, but she couldn't be sure through the sheets of water sliding down her face. "I'm saying that… that I think I still love you, Jess!" she yelled indecisively over another roar of thunder.

He quirked his brow in the way that only he could as he stared at her skeptically. "What?"

"I… still love you," she stated, a bit more firmly this time, more sure of it.

"You're kidding me," he said, smiling shrewdly.

"No," she said, giving him a shy smile of her own.

"Well, that's convenient," he said, turning his head to the side before adding, "Considering I still love you too."

He turned his head back, a sly grin playing on his lips before he dipped his head down slowly and kissed her tentatively. She kissed back with equal hesitance, deciding whether or not this was real or not. How did she and Jess get to this point? It made absolutely no sense, but she couldn't explain away how right it felt.

Placing her hand on the back of his neck, she pulled him closer to her, deepening the kiss. She felt his tongue slide across her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth to allow him access. She tilted her head to get a better angle, her tongue dueling his in a familiar battle of desire. Ignoring the beginnings of oxygen deprivation, she bit down on his bottom lip lightly as she threaded her hand into his rain soaked hair. She felt his hands slide down her arms to the small of her back, gasping as he pulled her to him.

When the need for air became far too great to ignore, she pulled her lips from his, breathing heavily as the blinding rainfall beat against her skin. As she tried desperately to look into the brown eyes that she knew all too well, she felt the elation she had only sparsely felt with Logan. Nothing compared to how she felt with Jess, and she knew it was all she was ever going to want from that moment on.

"So this is really happening?" he asked, his voice giving off the same happiness his eyes were.

"I guess so," she replied, giving him a quick peck on the lips just to make sure. When he followed her back down for another soul searing kiss, she could only think of how natural it felt to be there.

And, with the rain soaking her skin, and the thunder applauding them, Rory knew there was nowhere else she wanted to be.

And that Garrett Argianas was a dead man.

_**FIN**_


End file.
